In Search of a Fugitive
by KathyG
Summary: This is a real-life/Star Wars/NW Zorro crossover. In this two-part story, what happens when a modern-day teenage girl, Jackie Long, is recruited by Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and friends to capture an ex-Imperial in 1820's California? A Zorro adventure, of course! Zorro must save the day...again, but this time with a little help from his new friends.
1. Chapter 1

**IN SEARCH OF A FUGITIVE **

**By KathyG.**

**This is a real-life/Star Wars/Zorro crossover. In this two-part story, what happens when a modern-day teenage girl, Jackie Long, is recruited by Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and friends to capture an ex-Imperial in 1820's California? A Zorro adventure, of course! Zorro must save the day...again, but this time with a little help from his new friends.**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I wrote this Zorro—Star Wars—real-life crossover in honor of a fellow Zorro fan, Jackie Long, who turned 14 on March 25, 2000. Jackie is a devoted fan not only of the NW Zorro, but of Star Wars as well. Then, almost a year later, I reposted the story on a brand-new Web site. Now, in July, 2013, I'm posting it on . I don't know if Jackie will ever see it here, but in case she does, happy belated birthday, years later! =)**

**Disclaimer: The name, character, and likeness of Zorro is a registered trademark of Zorro Productions Inc. These stories are not intended to infringe on their rights. The storylines and additional characters (not including Zorro/Don Diego, Don Alejandro, Felipe, Victoria Escalante, Sergeant Mendoza, and the **_**alcalde**_**) are copyrighted 1998-2003 by KathyG. (Some of these stories include the name of Felipe's horse, Parche. The horse's name is used with the permission of Ruth Parker, who invented the name to use in her own wonderful fanfiction. To access her Zorro stories, click on ~ .) These stories are made purely for entertainment purposes. And suffice it to say that the same thing goes for Star Wars! =)**

**PART 1: "The Journey"**

Jackie Long whizzed past the row of houses as she practically stood on her 10-speed bike and bore down on the pedals. The breeze blew her long, blond hair out from underneath her blue plastic helmet and caressed her face. It was mid-afternoon, and she was returning home from a slumber party at her best friend's house. Jackie and her mother lived in an apartment on a street kitty-corner to her friend's.

The 14-year-old girl paused at a stop sign to watch for traffic and relaxed her grip on the handlebars. For a second, as she pressed her right foot against the pavement to keep her bike upright, thoughts of the slumber party flashed through her mind. Jackie, her friend Amber, and their friends had stayed up late the night before, watching _Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back,_ and _Return of the Jedi_ on home video.

Jackie had been a _Star Wars_ fan for over three years. While she did not particularly like the new movie about Anakin Skywalker, she adored the three older movies. She had watched them over and over, first in the theaters, then on home video. Jackie ran her index finger through her hair as she thought about them.

"I just love _Star Wars_," she said out loud to herself, smiling broadly. "Some people love _Star Trek_; I love _Star Wars_!" She glanced at her watch; it was 2:15.

Beads of sweat rolled down her cheeks; she reached up to wipe them off. The young girl gripped the handlebars, pressed her toes down on the pedals, and sped across the intersection. As she pivoted onto her home street, she reminisced about the day before, when she, Amber, and the other girls had played Scrabble and watched the videos at Amber's house. Jackie remembered holding her breath when Darth Vader's soldiers had knocked out Princess Leia with a stun gun...scowling at Darth Vader himself, when he had frozen Han Solo in carbonite for his trip to Jabba the Hutt's palace...and rejoicing when the Rebels destroyed the two Death Stars, thus destroying the Empire's stranglehold on the galaxy. When Jackie got home, she was going to write down every detail in her diary, then she was going to watch a NW Zorro video.

Suddenly, a blinding light flooded Jackie's eyes; panic-stricken, she scrooged them shut. In the next instant, arms grabbed her by the waist and jerked her off her bike.

Jackie screamed and fought to free herself. "Take it easy, little girl!" a male voice ordered. "We're not going to hurt you. We're just going to borrow you for awhile. Please take it easy."

Jackie opened her eyes and froze in shock. The familiar apartment complexes she had known for the past five years had disappeared; the street itself had vanished. In their place, the inside of a spaceship encased Jackie. A corridor consisting of round metal walls with grooves running lengthwise surrounded her. White, glowing bars of light near the ceiling lit the hall. To her left, a round entrance opened into another corridor.

Seven familiar movie characters-four humans, one Wookie, and two droids-stood in a half-circle, gazing down at the disheveled, sweaty young girl; one of the men held her in a viselike grip. Before she had a chance to struggle again, Captain Han Solo released his grip around her waist and stepped back.

Jackie gaped at them, unable to believe her eyes. How in the world had she ended up on the famous _Star Wars_ freighter ship, the Millennium Falcon? Was she dreaming?

"You can't be real," she whispered. "You're just make-believe characters in a movie. You're not real!"

The tall, furry creature she recognized as Chewbacca grunted, amusement creasing his simian face. Captain Han Solo laughed. "Oh, we're real, all right." He gently tugged Jackie's bicycle helmet off her head and brushed Jackie's blond hair out of her eyes. "And we need your help; that's why we brought you on board my ship." He handed her the helmet as he spoke.

Han turned to his companions. "I'm Han Solo, captain of the _Millennium Falcon_. And this is Luke Skywalker, Jedi knight; Princess Leia, formerly of Aldaraan; my old buddy, Lando Calrissian; and my first mate, Chewbacca." The tall Wookie grunted.

Han turned toward the droids. "And these are our droids, C-3PO and R2-D2. And little girl, now that you've met us, how about telling us who you are?"

Excitement and fear churned in the pit of Jackie's stomach. It was so exciting to have the chance to meet her favorite movie characters like this, but what if she never got to return to Earth?

"J-Jackie Long. I-I'm fourteen, going on fifteen." Jackie twirled a strand of hair around her finger. "I'm in the seventh grade. My mom's Kay Long." She swallowed. "Uh, where are we going? And why do you need me?"

Princess Leia approached her and laid a hand reassuringly on the girl's shoulder. Her long, brown hair lay rolled in two rows of coils over the top of her head. The scent of perfume wafted toward Jackie's nostrils.

"We're going back in time," Leia explained. "To a place on your planet called California. A fugitive from our galaxy escaped from us and came here, and we came here after him."

Jackie frowned. "Back in time?"

Leia nodded. "Yes. To 1820, as it's called in Earth time. Because that's where he's gone."

Luke Skywalker nodded and tilted his head. He and Leia wore identical orange and white spacesuits, Jackie noticed, and Han was wearing a dark-brown vest ovr a light-brown shirt. The young Jedi knight's handsome, boyish face looked sober. "He's a criminal, Jackie. His name is Marbolo, and he used to be a high-ranking officer in the Empire. He held an important position and worked for Darth Vader and the Emperor." With a sigh, Luke clasped his hands together. "When the Emperor and Darth Vader died, he became very bitter and swore to regain his power in any way he could. He was-and still is-quite power-hungry."

Jackie glanced down at her brown sneakers. Handing her helmet to Princess Leia, she bent over to retie them, then straightened up. A horrible thought struck her, and she caught her breath.

"My mom will worry," she said. "She won't know where I am, and she'll think something terrible happened to me." Her stomach churned at the thought.

Princess Leia smiled kindly and shook her head. "No she won't, Jackie." She squeezed the young girl's shoulder. "When we bring you back to the year 2000, we'll drop you off at the same date and time in which we picked you up. You'll be right back where you were when we came by."

Relieved, Jackie nodded. Silently, she prayed they'd be able to keep their promise.

Han Solo glanced toward the hall left of Jackie. "Well, if we're going to reach our destination, I'd better go back to the cockpit." In the casual gate so characteristic of Han, he strode out of the hall, his shoes ringing on the metal floor.

Jackie tugged a comb out of her jeans pocket and ran it through her hair. As she slipped it back into her pocket, her stomach growled. "Princess Leia, is there something to eat? I'm hungry."

The princess smiled. "I think we can find something. Come with me, and let's see what Han Solo's got in his kitchen."

Minutes later, while Jackie, seated at a white table, was eating a sandwich, the _Millennium Falcon_ slowed, then landed with a thud. Jackie leaped to her feet as the ever-louder clanging of shoes on the metal floor signaled someone's approach. "Are we there?"

"Yes, we're there." Han Solo entered the dining area. "Come on, Jackie, we've got work to do. You, too, Leia. We've got a criminal to find."

"Why do you need me?" Jackie scrambled to her feet, barely glancing at the helmet she had tossed on the table. Leia took one last sip of her drink and stood up.

"Because you know about us, and because you're of Earth. We may need you to speak to the local residents on our behalf, or to explain them to us."

Jackie understood. These people were unfamiliar with Earth customs and attitudes, and the people of 1820 California were totally unfamiliar with _Star Wars_. She might be needed to fill the breach between the two cultures. She glanced at her watch. To her dismay, it had stopped.

"Your watch will resume working when we take you back," Han assured her.

Han, Leia, and Jackie joined Lando, Chewbacca, and the droids in front of the entrance. The four adults checked their utility belts to make sure their weapons and binoculars were securely fastened. Jackie stretched her arms above her head as high as she could, to limber up.

"Chewie, you'd better stay in here," Luke said. Chewbacca growled, evidently displeased.

Han Solo nodded. "He's right, Chewie; they don't have Wookies on Earth, and you might frighten them. Besides, we need somebody to stay and guard the ship." He paused. "3PO and R2 will stay with you. Something tells me it wouldn't be safe to take them, either."

C-3PO dipped his head. "I fully agree. There's something about this place that makes my joints shiver." The squat droid next to him beeped and whistled. Jackie grinned, in spite of herself.

At last, Chewbacca nodded in reluctant agreement. Princess Leia glanced at Jackie. "Come on. Let's go."

Han pushed a button, and the long metal ramp slowly opened. As it lowered toward the ground, it made a whirring noise, then landed with a clang. Reddish-orange sunlight flooded the corridor, forming a bar of sunlight on the metal floor.

The four adults and the little girl strode down the ramp and paused to get their bearings. The reddish-orange sun hung just over the horizon; it was early morning here.

For a long moment, Jackie stared at the bare desert. She was there! She was actually in Spanish California! For a long moment, she gazed at the hills and boulders surrounding them and the cluster of trees in the distance.

"Hey, Jackie." Luke tapped her shoulder. "This is marvelous to us, too, but we don't have time to stand around and gape."

"Uh, yes, sir." Jackie looked up at him as she brushed a stray hair out of her left eye. "Where is he? This-uh, Marbolo?"

Luke and Han looked at each other soberly. "I wish we knew," Han said. "We know this is where he came, but we don't know where to find him. We'll just have to search the area."

Jackie gulped. She fervently hoped they would find this Marbolo soon. Having watched the three movies repeatedly, she knew all too well what a man from the _Star Wars_ galaxy could do to the people of 1820.

In spite of her worry, she gazed at the California desert again, running her fingers through her hair. "Gosh!" She stared around her. "It's so _empty_ here! Just desert and trees and stuff." She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. "It sure is hot!"

Luke laughed and put an arm around her shoulder. "Jackie, this is nothing! You should see Tatooine, the planet I grew up on. Just a bare, empty waste with miles and miles of sand dunes, and blazing hot temperatures. Not to mention Jawas, sandpeople, and a few no-so-pretty cities and farms and stuff."

Jackie giggled. She knew exactly what he was talking about, but she didn't dare say so. "Sounds ugly!"

Luke made a face. "Yes, it was, and I wouldn't want to live there again."

Silently, Jackie agreed. She wouldn't want to live on a planet like that, either. _Luke Skywalker's nice,_ she thought. _I like him._

"Well, well, well!" A mocking laughter echoed over the desert. "We'll just see about that, Commander Skywalker! You may wish you _were_ back on Tatooine when I'm done with you!"

Jackie froze. That voice sounded so ugly!

A tall, broad-shouldered man who'd squatted behind a boulder just ahead of the assembled group rose to his feet, a mocking grin etched on his jowly face. He wore a silver-colored spacesuit resembling aluminum, with an off-white fabric for a collar. Tufts of light-brown hair rimmed his otherwise bald scalp.

The man grasped the hilt of his blaster. In response, Luke reached for his lightsaber and Han for his blaster.

"So you thought you'd capture me and take me back, did you?" The fugitive stepped around the boulder as he spoke. His thin lips spread wider, but there was a hard look in his steel-gray eyes.

Princess Leia grabbed Han's blaster and pointed it at the man. "Come here slowly, Marbolo," she ordered. "Now!"

The fugitive approached her, still grinning. Suddenly, he kicked dust in her face, making her drop the blaster. As the princess raised her hands to cover her eyes, Luke and Han rushed him. Marbolo raised his fist to punch Luke.

"Luke! Look out!" Jackie shouted.

Han grabbed Marbolo and twisted his right arm behind him. Jackie leaned against a nearby boulder and stared at them, trembling.

"All right, Marbolo!" Han hissed. "Now you tell us why you came here, and you tell us _now_! Or I'll twist your arm till your hand's turned permanently backwards!"

Marbolo bared his teeth. "All right! I came here to start my own empire. I'm quite sure the people in this backward region won't be able to resist me as the Rebels did the Emperor and Darth Vader." He grinned again, and Jackie shivered. "Of course, I've got to loot the _caballeros_, and I've got to force them to help me."

Suddenly, the fugitive stiffened. "Look out! Trouble."

As Luke and Han whirled around, Marbolo shoved them viciously to the ground and rushed off. As the two Rebels scrambled to their feet, he vanished over a nearby hill.

A grim-faced Han Solo shook his head. "Well, we're going to have to go look for him."

Luke nodded, purse-lipped. "I wish we had a landspeeder." He tilted his head as he spoke. "Or a Tauntaun."

Jackie shook her head. "They didn't even have cars in 1820, and Earth's _never_ had Tauntauns! You'll have to walk or ride horses."

Leia sighed. "In that case, we'd better walk. These horses-as you call them-we haven't got time to get any."

"No, we sure don't." Han held his binoculars to his eyes and scanned the desert. "We'd better stay together. All of us. Come on, let's go."

The group took off in the direction the fugitive had fled. Jackie trotted next to Leia, who in turn walked erect and with an easy grace; the men strode on ahead. Fortunately, it didn't take them long to find Marbolo's footprints. For what seemed like an endless period, they followed the prints.

Beads of sweat rolled down their faces; from time to time, they stopped to wipe it off and to get their bearings. As the sun rose higher, the sky turned bright blue. After a time, the blazing sun's rays beat down on their foreheads.

Gravel crunched under their feet; repeatedly, Jackie kicked it out of her path. Each time they stopped, one of them would scan the countryside with his binoculars.

Jackie wondered what they would do when they found Marbolo again. How would they stop him? Suppose he surprised them again the way he had when they'd arrived? Would they be able to capture him, or would he kill them?

_What will he do to me if he captures us?_ Jackie shivered at the prospect, then sighed. _It's only mid-morning, yet I'm hot!_ She wiped her face and scowled at her sweaty hands and her now-still watch. _Wish my watch was running, so I could know what time it is!_

"Look!" Princess Leia gaped at a one-story building in the distance, to their left. "The tracks lead toward that building. Looks like some kind of residence."

She handed her binoculars to Jackie and showed her how to use them. As Jackie gazed through the lenses, she froze. The building had whitewashed walls and a red tile roof. A whitewashed stone fence surrounded the front.

_I know that place!_ Jackie thought. Joy surged in her heart. She had seen that very _hacienda_ on the episodes she kept on her collection of Zorro videos.

_How could it be?_ she wondered silently, as she gaped at the house. _Well, why not? If I can meet_ Star Wars_, why not_ Zorro_?_

"It's the de la Vega _hacienda_!" She handed the binoculars back to Leia. "That's where the de la Vegas live! That's where Zorro lives!" She grabbed Leia's arm as she spoke.

Han Solo studied the tracks and pursed his lips. "And where Marbolo was headed." He glanced at Jackie. "And what's this-this Zorro?"

"It's Spanish for 'fox,'" Jackie explained. "A fox is a little animal, like a dog. They're real smart and cunning, and they eat other animals. Don Diego de la Vega calls himself Zorro because he has to be cunning, too. He fights injustice, you see, and the _alcalde_ doesn't like that." She smiled wryly. "He hates Zorro like the Emperor hated the Rebels. He wants Zorro dead! There's a reward on his head-5,000 _pesos_."

Han winced. "Reminds me of Jabba the Hutt. He had every bounty hunter in the galaxy after me!"

"And we rescued you from him." Princess Leia touched his arm and smiled. Han patted her hand.

Luke chuckled. "And how does this Don Diego protect his secret identity?"

Jackie grinned. "By wearing a mask when he has to be Zorro. And pretending to be wimpy even though he's not, when he's Don Diego."

The four adults laughed. Jackie scratched her arm. "And he has a servant who helps him-a boy a little older than me. His name's Felipe, and he's mute. He pretends to be deaf, so he can spy for Zorro without getting in trouble."

"He can't talk, and he pretends he can't hear?" Leia gazed at her. Jackie nodded.

Without saying another word, the group made tracks for the _hacienda_. Half an hour later, they approached the picket gate.

Suddenly, the glossy, dark-brown mahogany door swung open. Marbolo stepped out onto the porch and pointed a blaster at them. Jackie's breath caught in her throat. Leia's eyes widened, then looked stern.

"No tricks!" the renegade warned. "The residents of this house are tied up inside, and the servants are locked in a closet. I've hired a few henchmen to help me, and they're guarding the prisoners." He gestured with the blaster. "Come inside! Now!"

No one said a word in response. With a gulp, Jackie followed the grim-faced adults toward the door.

**END OF PART 1 **


	2. Chapter 2

**PART 2: "Hostages"**

**PART 2**

Jackie minced across the threshold in silence. Her sneakers clicked on the gleaming marble floor as she stepped into the foyer. The excitement she would have felt at actually getting to meet her TV heroes had been swallowed up by cold fear.

"Line up against the wall, all of you!" Marbolo gestured toward the hallway next to the foyer that spanned the length of the elegant drawing room. Out of the corner of her eye, Jackie saw Han reach stealthily for his blaster.

"Solo, you touch that blaster and it'll be the princess, not you, who dies." Marbolo pointed his own blaster at Leia as he spoke. Cursing, Han dropped his right hand to his side. Leia glared fiercely at the ex-Empire official. Jackie swallowed hard.

Silently, Luke, Han, Lando, and Leia leaned against the yellowish-beige wall. In that instant, Jackie saw two _caballeros_ and one servant boy crouched on the floor next to them, hands tied behind their backs.

The younger _don_ was the taller one. He had coal-black hair and blue eyes, and he wore a blue vest over a bleached, ruffled, snow-white linen shirt. The older gentleman had grey hair, and he wore a bright red vest over his ruffled linen shirt, and a pair of matching trousers. Both men had mustaches and wore quality leather boots.

The boy, who appeared to be 14 or 15, wore a homespun, unbleached, off-white cotton shirt, a pair of matching trousers, a light-brown wool sash, and a pair of woven-leather sandals. He had scrunched his knees up against his waist. The boy and the two _caballeros_ stared at their visitors' strange clothes.

_It's Don Diego and Don Alejandro and Felipe!_ Jackie thought. She glanced self-consciously at her light-green T-shirt, blue jeans, and brown sneakers. _They must think we look wierd._

Two masked bandits stood guard over the de la Vegas and Felipe. Swords hung from their sides in scabbards, and one of them held a pistol on the three prisoners. Ignoring the bandits, the de la Vegas gaped at their visitors in evident puzzlement.

Suddenly, Marbolo grabbed Jackie and pressed his chrome blaster against her forehead. "Tie them up!" he ordered the bandits, nodding toward the Rebels. "If anyone says a word or tries anything, this little girl dies!" He squeezed her arm till she winced. Don Alejandro scowled at him, but said nothing.

When the four visitors from a faraway galaxy had been tied up and shoved down on the floor next to the de la Vegas, Marbolo tied Jackie's hands behind her back. He strode toward the assembled prisoners and yanked Felipe to his feet. "No tricks!" he warned Don Alejandro and Don Diego. "Not unless you want your boy dead."

"Want do you want?" the elder _don_ hissed. For a second, Jackie thought she saw sparks of fire fly from his eyes.

Marbolo grinned. "I want to be your governor, _señor_." He shoved Felipe against Jackie, who nearly lost her balance. "And you and your _caballero_ friends are going to help me."

"How?" Don Diego shook his head at the fugitive. "By holding us hostage?" He changed position in an evident effort to sit up straight, as befitted a gentleman.

Marbolo shook his head. "No. By holding these _muchachos_ hostage." He glanced at the two terrified teenagers. "I am going to take at least one hostage from every _hacienda_ in the area. When I have as many as I need, I will send you-and the other landowners-my demands. And if you want your boy back alive, _señores,_ you will meet them to my satisfaction."

"Marbolo, I swear-you're going to regret this." Leia glared fiercely at him and straightened her back. "This time, you've gone too far!"

Marbolo merely smirked. Beside Leia, Han sat slouched against the wall. Luke and Lando merely sat motionless.

"Who _is_ this _bandido_, and how do you know him?" Don Alejandro turned to the assembled fellow prisoners.

Jackie swallowed hard. "They're-they're from another galaxy. A faraway one." She paused. "_I'm_ not; I'm from the United States. My name's Jackie Long."

Luke nodded toward Jackie. "We brought that little girl with us, because we needed her help. I'm Luke Skywalker, and this is Princess Leia Organa, Han Solo, and Lando Calrissian. We came after Marbolo, to capture him. He's an escaped fugitive from our galaxy." He tilted his head as he spoke.

Don Alejandro and Diego stared at them for a long moment. "I-I see." Don Alejandro cleared his throat and shifted position. "I'm Alejandro de la Vega, and this is my son Diego. And that boy is our servant, Felipe. He can neither hear nor speak."

"Enough chatter!" Marbolo turned to the two _bandidos_. "Take the de la Vegas and these four visitors to the supply closet, and lock them up with their other servants. By the time they manage to free themselves, we'll be long gone and they won't be able to track us down."

The taller bandit nodded. _"Si, señor."_

Marbolo gave Felipe a vicious shove; the boy nearly lost his balance. "You two are coming with me!"

Jackie stumbled as she shuffled out the front door. The bandit gripped her arm so tightly she winced in pain. Jackie had never been so frightened in her life. What did these bandits intend to do to her and Felipe? Would they kill her? Would she ever see her mother again? She didn't know.

**ZZZZZ**

Jackie leaned against the cave wall and gazed at Felipe, who sat across the cave from her. Like hers, his hands were tied behind his back and his ankles were bound together. The entrance was so narrow that only two men could walk through it at a time. The late-afternoon sunlight flooded the entrance, forming a rectangle on the smooth cave floor. A little further down the tunnel, a wide entrance opened into a small room littered with piles of rocks and debris.

The bumps in the frigid wall pressed against Jackie's back, making her squirm with discomfort. She could barely feel her limbs, they were so numb. Her stomach growled, reminding her that her last meal had been hours earlier. Her throat felt unbearably dry. She yearned for some water.

The two bandits sat cross-legged just inside the entrance, guarding their prisoners. Marbolo had ridden away. Neither said a word to each other or to the children. They just fidgeted, evidently bored.

Several hours had passed since the three criminals had brought Jackie and Felipe to this cave at Chielo Ridge. After the two bandits had locked the de la Vegas and the _Star Wars_ visitors, still tied up, in a storage room with the servants, they had stolen three of the de la Vegas' horses and, with Marbolo, taken the children away.

_How long are they going to keep us here?_ Jackie wondered silently. _Will they let us go? Or are they going to kill us?_

Felipe winced and shifted position. Apparently, the ropes were cutting into his wrists as well as cutting off his circulation. A wave of pity swept through Jackie. This was awful for him-for them both!

_I wish he could talk,_ she thought ruefully. _But even if he could, they probably wouldn't let us! What would they do if they knew he could hear? That he only pretends to be deaf?_ Jackie shivered. Felipe bent his head sideways, first to one side, then to the other, in an evident effort to ease a crick in his neck.

Suddenly, one of the bandits sneezed. "Let's go outside." He rose to his feet. "I'm gettin' tired of stayin' in this cave. Those _niños_ aren't goin' nowhere."

The _bandidos_ ambled outside. Jackie and Felipe listened carefully to their chat. "That boy is very likeable," one of them said. "Pity we'll have to kill him when it's over."

"_Si._ The little girl, too."

Jackie and Felipe gaped at each other in horror as their captors' voices faded. "We've got to get out of here, Felipe!" Jackie whispered loudly. The boy nodded vigorously.

Without another word, Jackie struggled with the ropes that bound her wrists. Silently, she prayed she would succeed in freeing her hands. Across the cave, Felipe did the same thing.

Minutes passed as Jackie twisted and turned her hands in a violent effort to dislodge the ropes. To Jackie's relief, they gradually loosened. Finally, she slipped them off and rubbed her hands together to restore the circulation. Now to untie Felipe!

Suddenly, she heard tramping footsteps. The bandits were returning!

Jackie leaped to her feet and raced down the cave tunnel. "Hey!" she heard one of the men shout. "After that little girl!"

Terror lent speed to Jackie's feet. She darted up one tunnel and down another. She could hear the tramping of boots from far behind, as the bandits chased her.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a crevice in the left wall. Maybe if she hid inside of it-!

As she slipped into the crevice, she saw a sliver of sunlight on the cave floor near a bend. She tiptoed toward the source. Could it be-?

To her relief, she found small round hole, just big enough for Jackie to crawl through, in the wall at the other end. She heard the increasingly louder tramping suddenly pause-apparently, the bandits had discovered the crevice, too. She would have to hurry if she was going to escape!

"Where _is_ she?" an enraged voice shouted. Marbolo's!

A frantic Jackie dropped down on her hands and knees and crawled through the hole. It was a tight squeeze, as she quickly discovered. She had to literally push her way through.

In the next moment, she rose to her feet. She had made it!

_Now I've got to find Zorro,_ she thought. _I've got to warn him. If I don't, they'll kill Felipe!_

Gravel crunched under her sneakers as she carefully picked her way down the steep hill. When she reached the bottom, she kicked several of them out of the way. Suddenly, a hand grabbed her shoulder. She whirled around, prepared to scream.

"Shh!" A tall man wearing a black mask, hat, cape, and costume clapped a black-gloved hand over her mouth. "There's no need to be frightened, _señorita_. I am Zorro; the de la Vegas told me about your capture. I came to Chielo Ridge, looking for you and Felipe."

Jackie sighed. Relief flooded through her. So, the de la Vegas had managed to free themselves.

"We've got to hurry, Zorro! They've got Felipe. They're at a cave near here. We've got to save him!"

"And we will." Zorro spoke in a low voice. "Lead me to the cave, and I'll take it from there."

Suddenly, Jackie froze. Three men on horseback rode in their direction-one of them was Marbolo! Zorro shoved her down behind a huge boulder and grasped the hilt of his Toledo-steel saber.

"The three bandits who kidnapped you and Felipe, and took the de la Vegas hostage," he whispered. "Undoubtedly, they're looking for you. I don't see Felipe with them, so they must have left him in the cave."

The two knelt silently until the bandits had disappeared over the hill. "Come, we must hurry!" Zorro rose to his feet as he spoke.

Minutes later, Jackie and Zorro reached the cave entrance. Zorro strode inside, untied Felipe, and helped him to his feet. As the servant boy leaned against the wall, rubbing the circulation back into his arms, Zorro approached the entrance and gazed outside, hand once again on the hilt of his saber. Like the _caballero_ he was, he stood erect wih his shoulders held back.

"We must set up a trap for the _bandidos_," he said in a low voice. "Come! There's little time. They will return shortly. There's a net in my saddlebag." He whistled, and Toronado galloped up the hill toward him.

"Zorro, Marbolo's from outer space." Jackie swallowed. "He doesn't have a pistol; he has a blaster. It shoots beams of laser, and they kill. A laser's like a light, except it's deadly."

Zorro pressed his lips into a thin line of determination. "Then we'll see whether he's a match for a Toledo-steel sword." He smiled grimly.

The two young people helped Zorro rig the net at the top of the narrow cave entrance and a taut rope directly below, across the floor. They poured a thick layer of dirt over the rope so the bandits wouldn't see it.

"Now, stay in the cave and wait." Zorro patted Felipe's back and squeezed Jackie's shoulder. "If this blaster of Marbolo's as dangerous as you say, Jackie, I want you two out of harm's way." Felipe nodded his acquiescence.

For the next several minutes, Zorro, Felipe, and Jackie hid inside the cave, waiting for Marbolo and his hired henchmen to return. Zorro stood next to the entrance while the teenagers leaned side by side against the frigid wall, hardly daring to breathe.

_How did Don Diego get out of the closet?_ Jackie wondered. _Wish I could ask him, but he'd be real upset that I knew his secret._ She grimaced. _I don't dare tell Felipe I know his, either!_ She stretched her arms above her head till she felt the muscles grow taut, then reached into her jeans pocket for her comb.

Zorro glanced toward the kids. "I remember this cave," he said softly. "I had to rescue Don Alejandro from it a few weeks ago, when the Falcon kidnapped him and brought him here."

Jackie remembered. "The Falcon" was a second-season episode of the New Zorro series that had aired during the late fall of 1990. A thief had posed as a revolutionary, intending to depose the _alcalde_ so he could loot and plunder Los Angeles. When Don Alejandro had opposed him, the Falcon had kidnapped him to use as bait for Zorro.

The Falcon had tied up Don Alejandro in that little room now littered with rocks and debris, and rigged a trap for Zorro. Jackie shivered as she reminisced about that episode. _He was going to kill Zorro!_ she thought. _Thank goodness he failed._

When Jackie had finished combing her blond hair, she shoved the comb back into her pocket. She glanced at the debris-littered room just down the tunnel. _Hey, that's where those rocks and stuff came from!_ she thought. _That's the stuff the Falcon used for his trap!_

Suddenly, Zorro froze, then turned around. "I hear someone coming," he whispered. "Brace yourselves, _amigos_. It may be your kidnappers."

Jackie held her breath. Her palms grew moist. Next to her, Felipe swallowed hard and stood rigidly.

"We've got to find those kids," a familiar voice said. Han Solo's!

"Oh, _no_!" Jackie whispered. "It's Luke and Hans Solo and them! We've got to warn them!"

Before Zorro could act, the four men, including Don Alejandro, rushed inside, two at a time. Behind them, Princess Leia tripped over the rope, toppling Luke, Han, Leia, Lando, and Don Alejandro. In that instant, the net fell on them all.

"Great going, Leia!" Han Solo grumbled, as he pushed himself up on his knees and grabbed chunks of the net in an effort to pull it off his head.

"It's my fault, _señor_." Zorro yanked the edge of the net off Felipe, then Jackie. "She had no way of knowing there was a trap here. The blame is mine."

"_Si,_ and you're going to pay for it. It's really too bad, Zorro."

The familiar hard voice chilled Jackie's blood. "You shouldn't have come at all." Marbolo!

Marbolo strode inside, smirking as he gazed at the thrashing, net-enmeshed group. "These kids are going with my henchmen and me." He grabbed Jackie and gazed at Felipe. "You go with us, _muchacho,_ or your friend here dies. Take your choice." He pressed his blaster against Jackie's cheek.

Jackie felt sick inside. Now they were all trapped! They had to do something, fast!

With evident reluctance, Felipe followed the two outside. Out of the corner of her eye, Jackie saw Toronado stand at attention nearby. The two bandits joined Marbolo and the young people. Jackie clenched and unclenched her fists.

Suddenly, the black stallion reared and whinnied, startling Marbolo, the bandits, and the young people. In that instant, Zorro raced outside, gleaming saber in hand. Jackie stomped on Marbolo's foot, forcing him to let her go, and rushed toward the black-clad masked avenger.

In that instant, Jackie heard the whirr of the lightsaber from inside the cave. Seconds later, Luke, his co-horts, and Don Alejandro darted outside-Luke must have used his lightsaber to cut the net. Grasping it in his right hand, the Jedi knight glared fiercely at Marbolo. Zorro saluted the bandits with his Toledo-steel saber after they yanked their rapiers out of their scabbards.

Jackie could never be sure, afterwards, exactly what happened. All she really remembered was that, while Princess Leia stood guard over her and Felipe, right arm pressed against Jackie's waist and left arm encircling Felipe's shoulders, Zorro dueled with the bandits. Luke, meanwhile, pointed the tip of his lightsaber's yellowish-white beam at Marbolo's throat.

To her horror, Jackie saw one of the bandits creep toward Luke's back. "Felipe!" she whispered. "Look!"

Scowling, Felipe grabbed a fist-sized rock that lay on a nearby boulder and rushed toward the bandit. Before Marbolo had a chance to shout a warning, the servant boy conked the bandit on the back of his head. "Ow!" the man said, as he slumped to the ground.

Smiling, Felipe raced back toward Jackie and Leia. Don Alejandro patted the boy's shoulder and smiled at him proudly. Zorro, meanwhile, disarmed the remaining bandit, then punched him so hard the man slumped to the ground next to the other _bandido_.

"All right!" Luke warned Marbolo. "Hand us your blaster right now, or I'll cut your throat with my lightsaber!"

"And I'll cut you down with my own blaster!" Han pointed his blaster at the escaped fugitive. "You don't stand a chance, Marbolo! Luke and I have you covered."

Gritting his teeth, Marbolo did as he was told. "You-_you_-" he hissed. Before he could utter the cutting words, Han Solo thrust his blaster into its holster and handcuffed Marbolo's hands in front of his waist. Luke stood off to the side, keeping his lightsaber pointed at the ruthless fugitive.

"All right, Marbolo!" the captain of the _Millennium Falcon_ said sternly. "You're going back with us to our time and our galaxy, and you're going to stand trial!"

"As will these two _bandidos_." Zorro slashed Zs in the backs of their trousers, then cut a larger one in the back of Marbolo's silver-colored spacesuit. The renegade alien pursed his lips in rage.

Zorro gaped at Luke's lightsaber as the young Jedi knight switched it off. "_Señor,_ forgive me for staring, but I have never seen such a weapon before."

Jackie grinned. "It's a lightsaber. It's like a sword, except its blade's not made of metal. But it can cut you through just like a sword."

Luke nodded and glanced down at the lightsaber. "It's a common weapon where we come from, as are blasters. Of course, our knowledge of science and technology far exceeds yours."

"_Si._ I can see that." Zorro gazed at Luke with respect.

"But your courage and ingenuity are no less than our own," Princess Leia said softly, clasping her hands in front of her waist. "That's the more important quality in any galaxy."

Zorro nodded agreement. "Indeed, it is, _señorita_."

Han Solo glanced at the prisoners. "Come on, guys. We've got to deliver Marbolo here to justice and return Jackie to her home."

_"Si."_ Don Alejandro yanked the bandits to their feet. "Up, you two! You're going to the _alcalde's_ jail." Jackie and Felipe grinned at each other.

**ZZZZZ**

Jackie perched at the dining table on board the _Millennium Falcon_, munching on a _tamale_ Don Diego had given her. She ate slowly, as her mother had taught her, savoring each bite. Her bicycle helmet lay on its side next to the glass plate.

When Jackie had swallowed the last chunk, she wiped her mouth with her napkin and leaned back. "That was good!"

Princess Leia smiled at her. "After all the time you went without food today, I'm sure it was! We were all hungry." She rubbed her hand on the coils of braid, took a sip of her drink, and leaned back in her chair. Leftover crumbs from her own _tamale_ lay scattered on the princess's plate.

Jackie gazed at the princess for a long moment. "What kind of food do they eat at your galaxy?"

"Meats, fruits, vegetables-the same basic kinds you eat here." Leia shrugged. "Of course, the dishes we make out of those foods differ from yours. As do the types of fruits and vegetables we grow on our planets."

Jackie nodded. She could see that. Even on Earth, the kinds of food eaten varied from country to country.

She glanced at the entrance to the round corridor that led toward the cockpit. Glancing down at the table, the young girl pressed a fingertip against the smooth surface. "Princess Leia, what's gonna happen to Marbolo?" She ran her fingers through her long hair as she spoke.

Leia sighed. "He will stand trial for the crimes he's committed, and he'll most surely be found guilty. He will probably be terminated."

"That's right." Han Solo and Luke appeared in the corridor entrance as Han spoke. "Lando's at the controls, and the droids are with him," Han added. "It's time, Jackie. Time for you to go home." Chewbacca appeared behind the former Correlian pirate.

Jackie rose to her feet. For a long moment, she hugged Leia, then Luke, then Han, then Chewbacca. "I'll never forget you," she said, as she gazed into the eyes of the tall Wookie. "Any of you." Chewbacca hooted as he patted her back with a hairy paw. In response, Jackie pressed her cheek against the thick, soft fur on his chest, then straightened up.

The three men smiled fondly at her, and Princess Leia kissed her forehead. Jackie hastily combed her hair, then picked up her blue helmet and fastened it on her head. "Say good-bye to C-3PO and R2-D2 and Mr. Calrissian for me, will you?"

"We will," Luke assured her. "I promise."

Before Jackie could say a word in response, a blinding light enveloped her. The girl squeezed her eyes shut for a long moment. When the light faded, she found herself astride her 10-speed bike on her own street.

Jackie looked at her watch, then held it to her ear. It had resumed ticking, and the second hand had resumed its circling. "Wow! I was in Spanish California for hours and hours, yet it's the same time here it was when I was taken on that ship." She shook her head in wonderment. "Wish I could tell my mom all about it, but she'd never believe me." She sighed.

Jackie bore down on the pedals. She couldn't wait to get home and write down her adventure in her diary! Five minutes later, she pedaled her bike into the parking lot of her apartment complex. After she had padlocked her bicycle to the iron bar set up for that purpose, she removed her helmet and raced toward the apartment door. She paused twice to kick some pebbles out of her path.

Brushing back her disheveled blond hair, Jackie trotted into the living room. "Well, sweetheart, did you have fun?" Her mother, Kay Long, smiled at her as she looked up from her paperback novel. Jackie tossed her helmet on the carpet next to the coffee table; it landed with a thud.

"I sure did!" Jackie grinned. Silently, she added, _And I had an adventure I'll never, ever,_ _ever forget!_

**THE END **

**©2000, by KathyG. **


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